User blog:Promestein/Agency - Inner Worlds
An inner world is the deepest, most private aspect of any individual’s soul, a representation of everything vital to their existence; their most important memories, the things they value most, their beliefs, their desires, and the way they have lived their life. Inner worlds have passive effects that reflect these things. For example; * SOLSTICE has heightened adaptive defenses and grows stronger in combat, on top of being abnormally difficult to kill. This is because of her intense desire to avoid death at any cost. * Lucifer’s fights against any attempts to control or limit her, allowing her to break physical and magical laws more easily and grow in response to her limits being tested. This is because of her focus on freedom. * EQUINOX has enhanced analytical abilities that make it easy for her to comprehend and decode complex magic, and her own magic carries a subtle imposition of death that causes her magic to adapt to become more effective and lethal against any given opponent. * Mastema is extremely good at killing people; in her hands, the most basic and physical death-inducing spell would completely erase a target from existence. This is because of her omnicidal intent and belief that death is a blessing. These effects manifest in ways that support an individual’s fighting style, inclinations, and abilities, often appearing through these abilities in some form and amplifying them. An agent needs no knowledge on their inner world to reap these unconscious rewards, but deeper introspection and eventual mastery will heighten their power and utility. See the difference in power and potential between SOLSTICE and Lucifer, despite their similarities? The difference between the both of theirs, and EQUINOX’s, that of a “career” witch, and then the difference between EQUINOX’s death-based abilities and Mastema’s? Eventually, if an agent does continue the process of self-understanding, they may gain the ability to fully activate their inner world, which usually implies bringing it into existence as a pocket dimension. This is very difficult to do, as mentioned above, often taking years of work, research, and personal development, but a fully developed inner world is an extremely meaningful and powerful boon for any agent. An incarnate inner world’s environment is determined by its user’s associations and values, representing them in an abstract manner. Often, it is impossible for many agents to unlock their inner world, as they have simply not had the experiences needed to acclimate their soul for such a purpose. These experiences differ based on person to person, as do the inner worlds themselves. Apotheosis is generally held to be necessary for the manifestation of an inner world, for example. All inner worlds reflect the nature of the external, physical world, and cannot be affected or altered so easily as the rest of the soul. Any significant change or harm, will ultimately be rejected by one’s ego pressure, with greater power than usual, just as changes to physics will eventually be reversed by Reality. This, along with the fact that the inner world is the most abstract aspect of one’s self, makes affecting the inner world extremely difficult. Because of this, destroying the strongest souls, those who have unlocked the potential of their inner worlds, is extremely challenging. This also makes modifying the inner world of others extremely difficult, much harder than simply completely destroying a soul, and even a talented Inner World Operator would struggle to make large-scale changes. They could make changes over time, slightly worsening and exploiting weaknesses, but it would take a ludicrously skilled Inner World Operator to fully rewrite another inner world. Even then, it would take, at the very least, hours of hard work, if not years, and it’s difficult to predict what kind of person would result from the new inner world. Self-modification and consensual modification are still easier, but working with inner worlds will never not be difficult and risky. Inner World Listing * Apophis Drive (SOLSTICE): Passively, this inner world amplifies SOLSTICE’s adaptive powers and, eventually, lets her switch between her own predicted futures to select her fate. In its hypothetical, fully activated form, it would allow for the simulation of all predicted possibilities and the ability to choose between all of these possible futures. These simulations can also be controlled. Truthfully an empty and dismal inner world. * Arcana Drive (EQUINOX): An internal storm cell used for computation and formed using stolen Heavenly technology. Effectively a personalized Solar Drive, it grants EQUINOX limitless energy and can be used to alter reality through world programming. It does not need to be activated to gain access to its variety of abilities, but when activated, manipulates fate within to aid EQUINOX. * Blooming Nocturne (Deleter): Data not found! * Cleanser Alkahest (Raphael): The kindest inner world, which focuses entirely on the control of energy, regardless of its form. Any energy or force that passes through is subject to Raphael's control, allowing her to manipulate it in a variety of ways, most commonly redirecting it straight back to the source. She can also 'purify' energy, transforming it into a raw state that only she can handle safely. * Eidos Lexicon (Harahel): A library of an inner world used to analyze, process, and store information, providing incredible utility and the ability to expertly copy and counter spells, even potentially replicating the inner worlds of others. Completely internal, with no manifested form; instead, the worlds of others are used. * Galactic Center Stage (Milky Way): Data not found! * Judecca Rex (Lucifer): An unruly inner world that fights against all attempts to control or limit Lucifer, boosting her abilities whenever they’re pushed to their limits and aiding her in going against physics. Unconsciously activated in dire circumstances, it is brought into existence just around Lucifer, effectively remaining completely internal, vastly boosting her abilities and power, on top of completely freeing her from physics, at the cost of her health and a more logical mindset. ** Thaumiel: A healthier and better realized inner world that grants Judecca Rex’s abilities on a greater scale and provides an immense healing power. It also allows Lucifer to introduce “divisions” into existence and improves Tabris, turning any fight into a battle that can be won through willpower and skill alone. * Lunar Phantasm (Minna): A dreamlike inner world that Minna accesses and uses through a self-inflicted Paracosm Phantasmagoria, manipulating it as if she were a lucid dreamer. Primarily internal, Minna can activate it and use its effects on just herself, or draw others into her own “dream” so she can affect them. * Maverick System (Jophiel): A heavily modified inner world, turned into a computing system that provides Jophiel complete control of her own existence. It can be pushed further to fuse Jophiel with her law, increase her capabilities, and “conquer” her surroundings, or activated a second time to allow for all its functions at their best. This also lets Jophiel seize control of spells, and makes it so that Jophiel cannot die so long as her rivalry with Mastema remains unsettled. * My Most Gracious Choir (Observer): An inner world revolving around possession that lets Observer steal things from others, even their inner worlds, which it has been hollowed out to store. Observer can use these inner worlds and can only be killed if they are all destroyed, along with her own. However, she cannot improve on anything she steals. * Prometheus Dream (Raziel): A symbiotic inner world that arises from a very strong bond between Raziel and their host, bringing out the best in the both of them and refining their host’s inner world to make it healthier and more efficient. The same is done for Raziel, helping them curb their self-destructive behavior and making their information more accessible. * Salem Corpseworld (Beelzebub): A horribly destructive but incredibly versatile inner world that generates maggots within Beelzebub’s soul, which must be satiated by victims thrown inside to avoid harming herself. These maggots will, if given enough sustenance, grow into fly demons - Beelzebub’s children. On top of this, it greatly assists in analyzing the world, providing Beelzebub with exceptional awareness. * Sefirot Demiurge (Yaldabaoth): An inner world that is also the true form of Yaldabaoth’s law, Sefirot. When activated, it allows Yaldabaoth to integrate herself into the universe around her, essentially making it her inner world and granting her absolute control. * Sheol Necrocosmos (Mastema): An inner world that is just as much the absence of one. A void that she opens up in reality to erase others, making her horrifyingly skilled in wide-scale destruction. This void is somewhat infectious, overwriting the inner worlds of others when transmitted through the Spear of Destiny. When activated, it creates a lawless, empty abyss with absolutely no definition that strives for the death in everything inside, Mastema included. * Soter Metra (Sophia): An inner world that is essentially a retrofitted womb, which Sophia can use to heavily alter the inner worlds of others once they’re absorbed, whether willingly or not. Barring this, Sophia can even create entirely new inner worlds inside. * Synthesizer Logos (Logos): The latest in a long series of inner worlds inserted into Logos’ modular soul, this one is a library of a world used to analyze, process, and store information. It has the ability to copy and counter spells, even potentially replicating the inner worlds of others, but everything it copies comes out more violent than ever. * Tachyon Era (Instant): Data not found! * Tartarus (Uriel): A permanently active inner world maintained by Heavenly technology and used as a prison. Uriel can control everything about it and imprison others within in an abstracted form, subjecting them to horrific tortures. The signature nightmare-based magic of the Shepherds originates from Tartarus. * Terminal Null (Never): An inner world of nihilism that allows for the reversal and erasure of causality, preventing actions from having any effect or returning them to zero. When activated, it makes this effect constant and also denies all other concepts, preventing magic from functioning properly. * Trapper Phantasm (????): An inner world that enacts control over other the inner worlds of others by suppressing them, disabling their properties. When activated, it drags those affected inside, greatly restricting their movement on top of allowing the user to control them and affect their inner world. Classification Inner worlds are often classified based on their structure and effects, both of which are decided by the personality and motivations of their users. When it comes to structure, there are two categories, reflecting the nature of the inner world and how its effects manifest; focused and multifunction. Most inner worlds qualify for only one of these and not the other, but some may possess traits of both, and, as an individual changes, their inner world’s structure may change. |-|Focused= Focused Focused inner worlds are inner worlds that provide singular, often powerful, applications rather than versatility and a capacity for expansion in a number of areas. Though fully capable of growing and being modified, these inner worlds grow in a more straightforward manner, and tend to be rather static in their structure and effects. By far the more common of the two classifications, focused inner worlds are possessed by those individuals who are driven to fulfill specific goals and ambitions. Compared to a multifunction inner world, a focused inner world may lack versatility, but it makes up for this in sheer potency and utility. Not coincidentally, they are usually developed by people with magical specialties. Qualifying Inner Worlds: * SOLSTICE’s Apophis Drive * Deleter’s Blooming Nocturne * Raphael’s Cleanser Alkahest * Milky Way’s Galactic Center Stage * Lucifer’s Judecca Rex and Thaumiel * Minna’s Lunar Phantasm * Jophiel’s Maverick System (Has traits of both; rather than making it incredibly powerful, this actually stretches it too thin.) * Yaldabaoth’s Sefirot Demiurge * Mastema’s Sheol Necrocosmos * Instant’s Tachyon Era * Uriel’s Tartarus * Never’s Terminal Null * ????’s Trapper Phantasm |-|Multifunction= Multifunction Multifunction inner worlds are inner worlds that are receptive to extensive modification from their users and can be used for a variety of purposes, growing to gain more and more abilities as their owner grows and modifies them. These are often particularly good at incorporating external abilities and technology. The rarer of the two classifications, multifunction inner worlds are typically found in individuals who value self-improvement and knowledge, or those with less intense convictions and goals. These are often the types who would develop extensive general knowledge on all sorts of magic, resulting in more things that their inner world could support. While usually more versatile, multifunction inner worlds often lack any single powerful application and rely on growth and modification over a long period of time to become more useful. Qualifying Inner Worlds: * EQUINOX’s Arcana Drive (Once a focused inner world, it grew into its current, more versatile state as EQUINOX matured.) * Harahel’s Eidos Lexicon * Jophiel’s Maverick System (Has traits of both; rather than making it incredibly powerful, this actually stretches it too thin.) * Observer’s My Most Gracious Choir * Raziel’s Prometheus Dream (An unusual case thanks to its symbiotic nature, as it focuses its versatility on Raziel’s host and can manifest in many ways because of this.) * Beelzebub’s Salem Corpseworld * Sophia’s Soter Metra * Logos’ Synthesizer Logos An inner world’s effects are far too varied to be contained to only two classifications, however, and so there are a greater number of these, of which any given inner world generally has multiple. As with their structural classifications, an inner world’s effects are subject to change in the event that its user changes as a person. |-|Amplification= Amplification Amplifying inner worlds are straightforward things that provide their users with bursts of power when used, increasing their capabilities and allowing them to fight at a higher level more easily. The exact degree and duration of these boosts differ depending on the user, and often on the situation, but they can completely change the course of a fight when used correctly and at the proper moment. These inner worlds can be further split into two types; explosive amplifiers that provide more power for a shorter period of time, and cumulative amplifiers that provide smaller but long-lasting (if not permanent) boosts that accrue over time. A very common sight, amplifiers are developed and used by those who seek pure power. This is the raw strength and ability needed to make one’s goals a reality, not necessarily having power and control over others, which is more the territory of a Containment world. It’s just as often that the individuals seek these things out for their own sake, however. They are often seen alongside Containment or Survivalist functions, of course. Qualifying Inner Worlds: * SOLSTICE’s Apophis Drive (Cumulative, though it may uncontrollably provide short-term explosive boosts at SOLSTICE’s expense.) * Lucifer’s Judecca Rex and Thaumiel (Explosive. A small amount of power accumulates across its many uses, however.) * Jophiel’s Maverick System (Explosive.) |-|Causality Interference= Causality Interference Inner worlds based around agency are those that allow the user to directly manipulate or determine the future by way of manipulating forces such as causation, time, or abstract ideas of destiny or some "plot". Also known as causality interference inner worlds, the nature of their existence means that they interact strangely with others of the same type. Powerful enough individuals and worlds can even completely cancel others out in a sheer contest of will. Among the most common inner worlds found in combat-focused agents, these inner worlds are most often developed by individuals who greatly prize and even obsess over their agency and freedom. This may manifest in ways that aren’t particularly beneficial for the user, or anyone else, for that matter. Qualifying Inner Worlds: * SOLSTICE’s Apophis Drive * EQUINOX’s Arcana Drive * Milky Way’s Galactic Center Stage * Lucifer’s Judecca Rex and Thaumiel * Jophiel’s Maverick System * Mastema’s Sheol Necrocosmos (Highly unusual case. Mastema’s inner world is just so destructive that it interferes with causality by destroying laws and other outside forces. It still qualifies, even more so because of Mastema’s truest desires.) * Instant’s Tachyon Era * Never’s Terminal Null |-|Computation= Computation Computation inner worlds are rather simple in function, working to support the user’s processing and analytical abilities. Even without being fully realized, such inner worlds often essentially act as a secondary, spiritual brain or some other form of computer. Particularly potent computation inner worlds may be able to influence the world in a number of ways. These inner worlds are developed by analytical individuals, of course, something that makes them one of the most common of all inner world types. However, their effects are usually the secondary function of any given inner world, and they are generally pretty poorly developed. Qualifying Inner Worlds: * SOLSTICE’s Apophis Drive * EQUINOX’s Arcana Drive * Harahel’s Eidos Lexicon * Jophiel’s Maverick System * Raziel’s Prometheus Dream * Beelzebub’s Salem Corpseworld * Mastema’s Sheol Necrocosmos * Logos’ Synthesizer Logos |-|Containment= Containment Containment inner worlds are those that, as the name implies, function at their best when they have their target contained within. With no one inside, a containment inner world may be more or less useless, but once someone is trapped inside they can showcase incredibly powerful effects. While all externalized inner worlds need to have others within to be used properly, these are different in that, even if internalized, they need others within. These inner worlds are a common sight, and are most often developed by individuals who have a need for power and control, especially over others. As a result, they are often paired with causal functions, for obvious reasons; it is common for those who desire agency to seek power and influence. It goes without saying that they also often have amplifying functions. Qualifying Inner Worlds: * SOLSTICE’s Apophis Drive (To a lesser extent than the others present, but still applicable; so much of this inner world’s functions depends on others being trapped within, even if those others are just simulations. To control others, Alice needs to draw them in.) * Jophiel’s Maverick System * Observer’s My Most Gracious Choir * Beelzebub’s Salem Corpseworld * Yaldabaoth’s Sefirot Demiurge * Sophia’s Soter Metra * Uriel’s Tartarus * ????’s Trapper Phantasm |-|Duplication= Duplication Duplication inner worlds have fairly obvious effects - they allow the user to clone themselves, and/or potentially even others, with varying degrees of accuracy. These inner worlds are generally quite versatile, but the more perfect the clone, the more resources and time it takes. This type of inner world is often developed by individuals with incredibly low or otherwise horribly twisted self-images, something that is commonly paired with a miserable worldview. In many cases, these agents desire death in some way, or consider themselves and/or people as a whole expendable. Generally speaking, however, they’re not very common at all. Qualifying Inner Worlds: * Beelzebub’s Salem Corpseworld * Logos’ Synthesizer Logos (Very limited) |-|Killer= Killer The rarest of all inner worlds, Killer inner worlds are incredibly straightforward. As the name suggests, they revolve around harming, destroying, and killing others. While other inner worlds can be weaponized, Killers are already weapons and are typically very focused, with little to no other application. They sacrifice versatility for sheer power, something in which they stand unrivaled among other inner worlds. Some people develop inner worlds with secondary, weaker Killer functions, however. This is more common. Obviously, these inner worlds are developed by individuals who seek destructive goals through destructive means; for these people, killing is not the means to an end. It is the end, in more ways than one. They are so exceptionally rare because there are very few people whose lives revolve around harm to the degree needed for this. Qualifying Inner Worlds: * EQUINOX’s Arcana Drive (Formerly, though, thanks to its multifunctional nature, it still retains some of its old functions. Back when her main focus was killing SOLSTICE, this was what her inner world was like. Now that she’s fulfilled that goal and settled down, her inner world has diversified and grown away from this.) * Deleter’s Blooming Nocturne * Mastema’s Sheol Necrocosmos * Logos’ Synthesizer Logos |-|Negation= Negation Negation inner worlds work by barring the abilities of others, preventing things like magic, or potentially a broader set of phenomena including ordinary physical operations, from functioning properly. They may do so through a variety of different means, and some may be rather limited in scope compared to others, which may be able to counter basically anything given some effort. Such inner worlds are found in those with a strong desire for stability and normality, the type of thing that allows them to enable their own views on these things by disbarring obstacles. Qualifying Inner Worlds: * Raphael’s Cleanser Alkahest * Harahel’s Eidos Lexicon * Lucifer’s Judecca Rex and Thaumiel * Mastema’s Sheol Necrocosmos * Logos’ Synthesizer Logos * Never’s Terminal Null * ????’s Trapper Phantasm |-|Predictive= Predictive Predictive inner worlds are a subset of Computation inner worlds that use their analytical and processing abilities to predict the future. Rather than somehow give the user impossible knowledge of upcoming events, these worlds help them predict events by analyzing the present and using what information they already have. While most Predictive functions stem from a Computation-based inner world, some find less conventional ways to predict the future. These inner worlds are found in those who have lived through horrible events that have left them with trauma, making them exceedingly cautious individuals who act to avoid such situations again. Qualifying Inner Worlds: * SOLSTICE’s Apophis Drive * EQUINOX’s Arcana Drive * Raziel’s Prometheus Dream * Beelzebub’s Salem Corpseworld |-|Replication= Replication Replication inner worlds are those that are used to mimic and/or steal the knowledge, abilities, and memories of others, repurposing them for one’s own use. Also called copycats, these are almost always multifunctional, and they undergo a similar growth even if not. Starting off barebones and simple, a copycat will amass abilities and powers as they gain experience. Quite rare, these inner worlds are typically developed by those who struggle with weak, unstable identities, crushing personal dissatisfaction, and/or pervasive feelings of emptiness and need. While many people can copy spells and abilities through simple analysis, copycats operate on a much greater scale. Qualifying Inner Worlds: * Harahel’s Eidos Lexicon * Jophiel’s Maverick System * Observer’s My Most Gracious Choir * Logos’ Synthesizer Logos |-|Self-Modification= Self-Modification Self-Modification inner worlds revolve around controlling the user’s own soul and body, changing their properties and often building upon them in various ways. These changes are controlled in nature, and can be used with great versatility, making them a common sight in multifunction inner worlds; often, these abilities are the basis of this structure. These are not to be confused with Survivalists, though they are often found together; these changes are controlled and more general, not reactive. Inner worlds like this are found within the souls of those who prize change in themselves and seek to grow as people. This does not necessarily mean for the better, and though many people seek to change on some level, this only really applies to those whose goals center around evolution. Qualifying Inner Worlds: * Minna’s Lunar Phantasm * Jophiel’s Maverick System * Raziel’s Prometheus Dream |-|Supportive= Supportive The Supportive inner world is one that focuses on assisting others rather than exclusively or mostly helping the user. They often supply services such as healing for their allies, but can manifest in a number of ways, reflected by other effect classifications. These are developed by those who seek to help others, generally above all, and who are otherwise altruistic. This does not necessarily mean truly altruistic and well-intentioned, as those who believe they are doing good and do help others, even if in the pursuit of horrible things, can also develop such an inner world. Qualifying Inner Worlds: * Raphael’s Cleanser Alkahest * Raziel’s Prometheus Dream * Sophia’s Soter Metra |-|Survivalist= Survivalist Survivalist inner worlds seek to keep the user alive through direct means, often developing enhanced reactive and regenerative functions, on top of raw endurance, stamina, and willpower, making them abnormally difficult to harm or kill. Generally, an inner world has supportive functions like this, similar to Computation inner worlds. Obviously, these are found in people who are focused on staying alive. This doesn’t mean just anyone who wants to stay alive - as this is most people - but people who, on some level, obsess over it and often actively seek it out as a goal, rather than just stay out of trouble or fight to stay alive when necessary. Survivalist worlds often overlap with amplifiers. Qualifying Inner Worlds: * SOLSTICE’s Apophis Drive * Lucifer’s Judecca Rex and Thaumiel * Jophiel’s Maverick System * Observer’s My Most Gracious Choir |-|Symbiotic= Symbiotic Rather than operate alone, Symbiotic inner worlds function in concert with the inner world of another being, necessitating another inner world to be used to their fullest extent. On its own, a symbiotic inner world may be much weaker, even completely useless, but with access to another - whether a specific person’s or anyone’s - they can reach their full potential. This does not exactly mean they’re beneficial for the user’s partner - many are parasitic, for example. Symbiotes are found in individuals who are dependent on others and seek relationships, though not all such people develop a symbiotic inner world, often instead forming inner worlds that can get them what they want through other means. Most often, those who develop a symbiotic inner world are those who deeply, truly need such a relationship. As a result, they are somewhat rare. Qualifying Inner Worlds: * Observer’s My Most Gracious Choir * Raziel’s Prometheus Dream * Sophia’s Soter Metra Category:Blog posts Category:Promestein's Pages Category:Agency